Are mouth ulcers cancerous?

• Benign mouth ulcers are often painful whereas mouth cancer is not.
• Benign ulcers will clear up in about 2 weeks, whereas mouth cancer will not go away and will often spread.
• Mouth cancer patches may be rough, hard, and not easy to scrape off.
• Mouth cancer is often a mix of red and white areas or large white areas that appear on the tongue, the back of the mouth, the gums, or on the cheeks.
• Mouth cancer is often linked to heavy drinking or tobacco use.

In many cases, the pain and discomfort from mouth ulcers will lessen in a few days and then disappear in about 2 weeks with no need for treatment.

• A healthy balanced diet
• Adopting stress reducing techniques and having adequate sleep
• talking to a doctor about changing medications that are known to cause ulcers
• avoiding foods that can either trigger or worsen symptoms
• keeping the mouth clean with daily bru...